


Closed

by BlueStarAngel



Series: Sliding Doors [2]
Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-10-21 11:34:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20692850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueStarAngel/pseuds/BlueStarAngel
Summary: With a date arranged with Ben at six o'clock, Callum is trying his best to get there on time. However, when he's running late for his train will a split second moment cause ripple effects that derail his whole life?This is a 'Sliding Doors' inspired story. Canon up to and including Tuesday 17th September,but my own direction using the spoilers for the episode on Thursday 18th September from then on.Paired with my story 'Open'





	1. Chapter 1

“Yeah, I’m just on my way back now, Jay.”

Callum checked his watch, before pacing even faster down the street. He’d left the client’s house around fifteen minutes ago, but had forgotten his route back to the station. Doubling back on himself, he now had to pick up his speed if he had any hope of catching his train on time.

“Everything go alright, yeah?” Jay replied, and Callum could tell he had been nervous about trusting him to deal by himself with a client. Though he had been working at the funeral parlour for many months now, it wasn’t actually a career he fell into naturally. He enjoyed the talking to people and he knew he could comfort those who were grieving. There was a slight reluctance that seeped through him when it came to trying to upsale their services. He didn’t want to coerce people into giving up their money during the worst time of their lives.

“Yeah, it all went well,” he replied, honestly. Callum hadn’t shown them the higher end coffins or encouraged the little extras. It was a small house, with little extravagance and the elderly man clearly didn’t have many pennies to spend. Callum ensured he was happy with the arrangements for his wife, but couldn’t bring himself to push for any more. “I’ll drop the paperwork back at the office, and then head home, if that’s alright?”

“Right little part timer you are, ain’t you?” Jay joked, the humour in his voice evident over the phone. “You got some exciting plans this evening? Washing your hair?”

Callum gave a brief chuckle. It was clear that Ben had told Jay about their plans for dinner tonight. The last few hours had dragged by, not helping by the fact he had checked his watch every five minutes. His stomach was constantly jumping and his toes kept wiggling into his too-tight shoes. With every hour, the feeling just increased. “I can’t go out like this. I smell like the train and I’ve got to get changed. What shall I wear?”

“You’re asking me?” Jay replied, his voice slightly cutting out for a brief moment. “I live in this suit. I half expect to take it off one night and just see another plastered to my body. I had that nightmare a few times! I just kept peeling off the layers!”

“Do I wear a suit?” Callum asked, unsure. He didn’t want to overdress and feel awkward, but at the same time he wanted to look like he put the effort in. “Or shall I just go casual? Maybe a shirt? What do you think?”

There was no sound coming from the receiver for a moment. “Mate, I’m flattered that you keep asking me about these things, but you appear to be under some illusion that I’m a one-man Queer Eye team! Just wear what you feel comfortable in.”

Callum wasn’t sure he would feel relaxed in anything. It seemed silly; he knew in the back of his mind that he was being ridiculous. This wasn’t some blind date with a man he’d never met. Although, perhaps he wouldn’t have been so anxious if it were.

“Alright, well I’ll just see what feels right when I get in,” Callum replied as he approached the station. “See you later.”

After Jay had muttered his goodbye, Callum hung up the call. A loud whirring sound was getting closer and he assumed that his train was approaching the platform. The realisation suddenly hit him that he was on the wrong side. Without stopping to think, he quickly jogged up the steps to the bridge that covered the tracks. He tightly gripped his phone and the folder with the paperwork, sprinting quickly when he saw that the train had already stopped. He had to get into the carriage before the doors closed. Who knew what would happen if he didn’t?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter is the same as my story 'Open' but it all changes from here!


	2. Chapter 2

“What do you want? I was in the middle of a call with a widow!” Jay bellowed as he entered the bedroom.

Ben looked up and smiled at him, walking to the centre of the room and turning slowly. “How do I look?” he asked, gesturing to the burgundy shirt and tight black jeans he was wearing.

Jay leaned against a dressing table, mouth opened in shock. “Are you joking me? You sent me an emergency message, saying that you desperately needed me over here immediately,” he exclaimed, the annoyance in his voice clear. “Clearly though, you just wanted me to be your mirror, mirror on the wall! I’ve lost a client!”

“Oh stop your whining, they’ll ring you back,” Ben replied, smoothing out any wrinkles in his shirt. “There’s only so many places they can go; they’re not gonna chuck the body out in the recycling bin, are they?”

There was a beeping from the bedside table, and Ben dashed across the room to pick up his phone. “What’s that?” Jay asked, lifting his head to try and peer at the screen. “You ain’t matching while getting ready for a date with another man, are you?”

Ben sneered in Jay’s direction. “Of course not! Why would you think that?”

“Don’t say it like that, as if butter wouldn’t melt!” Jay retorted back. “I’ve heard stories about how you’ve left one geezer to meet another, and then stopped off for a third on the way! Don’t act like you’re born again celibate all of a sudden!”

“Oh so you do listen to me,” Ben replied with a smile. “This is different anyway.”

Jay cocked his head slightly and plastered a big grin deliberately on his face. “Aww, look at you! You turned into an angelic teddy bear for your heroic soldier!”

Ben rolled his eyes at him. “Oh shut up! It ain’t just because of the shooting, is it? I’m not that easily swayed. I mean, I’m hardly attempting to get into Sonia’s drawers after she kebabbed me with a Bic, am I?”

“So go one then. Is it Prince Charming that’s text you?” Jay asked, folding his arms and sitting down on the bed. Ben nodded his head and showed him the screen. Jay started to read out loud. “_Gonna be late. Missed train.’_ Real romantic, that. You two ain’t exactly Romeo and Juliet are you?"

A pillow hit Jay squarely in the head. “We don’t need words all the time. We just know,” Ben said, shrugging, his eyes going softer.

“Oh I see!” Jay replied mockingly. “Clearly all your feelings of undying love are replicated in that little train emoji you messaged back to him. Got it!”

“Right sarky today, aren’t you?” Ben replied, looking in the mirror and adjusting his collar.

“Yeah, well you don’t have the monopoly of being an arsehole, as much as it suits you,” Jay replied, rubbing his forehead. “I’ve had a nightmare of a day and I’ve got work up to my eyeballs. Why you still messing with your hair? It always looks the same anyway.”

Ben gave him a glare in the mirror. “Just because you think that dressing to impress for a date is undoing your top button, it don’t mean that I can’t want to look good,” he said, putting the final touches to the top of his head. “Besides, he’s got a thing about my hair.”

“How sweet,” Jay replied, gagging in jest.” You hoping he’ll stroke his fingers through it as you get a peck on the cheek at the end of the night?”

Ben snorted out a laugh. “Well, I’m more hoping that he’ll be gripping on tight to it as ride him, but I’ll keep expectations low.”

“And they say romance is dead,” Jay chuckled, as he lay back on the bed, his body feeling weary. “Do you think you will then? Get that far, I mean?”

“I don’t know, mate,” Ben replied with a sigh. “He’s punched me as much as he kissed me. I never really know which way it’s gonna go with him.”

“You wouldn’t think it of him, would ya?” Jay remarked, putting his arms behind his head. “Although your face does provoke a lot of people to slap it.”

Shaking his head, Ben turned around to face the bed. “Nah, it weren’t like that. It just got a bit intense between me and him. We just get our wires crossed sometime. Causes the electrics to spark a bit.”

“Well, nothing to worry about this time is there?” Jay replied reassuringly towards his brother. “He’s on his way. Well eventually anyway. You’re dressed and pressed, and got the restaurant booked. Do you need to change the time?”

“It’s Walford East, Jay, not The Ivy,” Ben said, scrolling through his phone. “They’ve got more staff than they have customers, I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“Alright, on your head be it,” Jay replied, heaving himself up. “As he’s running late, do you fancy a drink while you’re waiting?”

Ben shook his head. “No, you’re alright, Bruv,” he replied, chewing at his lip. “I don’t want to be legless by the time he shows up.”

Jay watched as Ben took a deep breath and checked his phone again. He just hoped Callum wouldn’t make him wait too long.


	3. Chapter 3

“I think you’re hitting it too hard, dear.”

The next train had seemed to take a lifetime, and the wait at the station had caused his anxiety to flare. Callum couldn’t just sit there and hope, not after he was already late. He was thankful that Ben hadn’t seemed upset when he text him earlier to tell him he’d missed his train and wouldn’t be there in time for six o’clock.

When the phone beeped and a message came up with the train emoji, Callum couldn’t help but smile. Now he knew he definitely couldn’t wait around any longer. Getting up, he ran out the station and jogged to the nearest bus stop. There was a bus due to head to the Square in a matter of minutes. It may be a slower mode of transportation, but at least he would finally be heading in the right direction.

When he reached the stop, he slowed down to a walk when he realised the bus wasn’t yet in sight. Callum didn’t feel like sitting back down again, he didn’t want to stay still. He wanted to get back home and go on his date with Ben. The closer it got, the more nervous he became. There was excitement and butterflies, but the anxiety of worrying it would all go wrong was shading those feelings at the moment.

Everything had happened so fast in the last few weeks. All the moments in his life previously seemed to drag, placing him in constant fear. He would wish large chucks over in the hopes for something better. Since the wedding though, it was like everything was going so quickly that his heart had to beat faster in order to catch up. He could never make sense of time; of its cruelty and whimsy.

He smiled politely to the old lady who was sitting in the shelter, before taking another quick glance down the road. “It’s always a couple of minutes late around this time of day, my love. No point wishing or hoping. It’ll get here when it’s good and ready. Might as well have a seat.”

The last thing Callum wanted to do was sit down again. Sitting meant thinking, and that wasn’t something that was still easy. When Ben was shot, it was like everything he was hiding, every feeling he tried to tuck away or deny suddenly came bursting out. There was a freedom in it, to not have the restriction in his chest of a secret that had been clawed onto his body for years like a parasite, sucking all the life out of him.

The adrenaline only lasted for so long, and the nerves and worry soon hit in. He’d accepted going on a date with Ben at the hospital and it really was what he wanted to do. It felt right and natural. There were still whispers in his ear though pouring in self-doubt.

“There we are. See, I told you in would get here in its own time,” the elderly lady said with a chuckle, as she lifted herself off the seat with shaking legs. Callum waved the bus that was approaching down, thankful that it was the right one to get him home. He motioned for the woman to get on first, but she simply waved his offer away. “It’ll take my legs a minute. You go on first, love.”

Callum quickly remembered to get his card out of his pocket and took a large step onto the bus. He tapped his card, and then tried again, but it didn’t seem to take. The driver lifted an unimpressed eyebrow. “I think you’re hitting it too hard, dear,” the voice behind him advised.

Slowly this time, Callum touched the card to the reader, his heart settling when he heard it beep. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if he hadn’t managed to get on the bus. Running home dressed in a mourning suit wasn’t exactly ideal, but he would have done it.

The bus was almost empty and he took a seat near the front. The elderly lady had boarded and had now taken a seat near him as the driver started to chug along the road. Callum’s knee could barely keep still and his body tried to will the vehicle faster. He heard a chuckle from in front of him.

“Either you’re on the way to meet a sweetheart or you’re due in court dear, with the hurry you’re in,” the lady said with a smile. “The way you’re dressed, I’m not sure I can tell!”

Calum grinned back at her. “I’m on my way to meet…” he stopped for a second. He wasn’t really sure what to say or how to label whatever he and Ben were. “I’ve got a date.”

“Ah, I though it might be that,” she nodded knowingly. “If you were up on charges you’d probably be running in the other direction! First date is it, my love?”

He nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, we arranged to go on one last week. Bit nervous to be honest.”

“Well, that’s very sweet and traditional,” she replied, patting his hand where it was resting. “You don’t get a lot of that nowadays. Mind you, there wasn’t that much of it back in my day either, not really. Everything was always kept hush hush. My old mum would have beat me black and blue had she known half the things I got up to with a boy!”

“I’m just worried that I’m gonna say something ridiculous and mess everything up,” Callum confessed, glancing out the window to make sure he didn’t miss his stop.

“Oh darling, I can guarantee you date’s feeling exactly the same way!” she said, comforting him. “It’s only human to feel nervous.”

“D’ya think?” Callum asked. He couldn’t imagine Ben sitting there feeling worried about the meal or saying something wrong. He was experienced and with what he heard, going to meet someone wasn’t exactly a rarity.

“Look at you!” she replied confidently. “They’d be mad if they weren’t at home now, pacing the floor with butterflies flapping around their tummy. A handsome boy like yourself is a catch for any girl.”

Before Callum could think about correcting her, he noticed they were approaching his stop, so he quickly pressed the button. The bus slowed down and he nodded in thanks to the lady before walking down to step out of the doors as soon as they opened.

Callum stood still for a second, glancing at his watch to check the time. He was only half an hour later than their agreed time for the original date. There was a strong temptation to text Ben again and ask for another ten minutes so he could go home and get changed, but he didn’t want to waste anymore time. He’d have to turn up in his work suit, with the contract folders in hand.

As he rounded the corner towards Walford East, he gave a smile when he saw Ben. He was standing just outside, with his hands in his pockets, scuffing his foot along the ground. There was a vulnerability about him; like when he thought no one was watching, he could just drop the mask that he worked so hard to keep up.

“You always hang about on street corners?” Callum called out, as he approached closer.

Ben looked up at the sound of his voice, a little tension falling from his face. “Just waiting to see if anyone half decent passes,” he replied, keeping his hands in his pockets, but a small grin appearing on his face. “My date’s missed his train, so I I’m on the snuffle for someone to pay for my meal.”

“He was going to pay was he?” Callum said grinning back. “Seems like he dodged bullet then.”

“Not as easy as it sounds,” Ben replied, his smile fading just a little. Callum could almost kick himself for the turn of phrase. “But as he’s stood me up, I’ll guess you’ll do. Death suit and all.”

“I didn’t have time to change,” Callum explained as they both headed towards the restaurant door. He waved the folder he was holding. “Don’t let me forget this. Jay will kill me if I lose the contract.”

“If he has a go then just mention Lewisham Road to him,” Ben said, his smile appearing brighter than ever. “When he worked at the Arches, he went on a collection for a Beamer; he came back two hundred quid lighter and in the driver’s seat of a rundown Ford Capri. Dad went ballistic. Some geezer had fleeced him over. Jesus!”

At Ben’s exclamation Callum looked in front of them. The restaurant was packed. Every table was filled up, there were diners waiting at the bar and even a few people queuing at the front. He had never been here when it had been so busy. It was like everyone and their mother had come out to eat at Walford East tonight.

“You booked?” Habiba asked abruptly, carrying three plates full to the brim as she walked by them.

“Yeah, but for six,” Ben replied, looking around in confusion.

“You’re over half an hour late, we’ve given the table away. You should learn to be on time. Sorry,” she replied, sounding anything but apologetic as she whisked her way through the restaurant.

“It’s ok,” Callum said reassuringly. “We’ll just do it another night.”

Ben looked anything but placated by the suggestion, and Callum was a little worried he’d try and boot someone out of a booth. There was a moment of stillness. “Right, come on,” Ben said determinedly. “I’ve got a better idea than this anyway.”

“Come on, take it off.”

Callum glared across the picnic bench. “That’s just cheating!” he said, throwing a chip at Ben. “You’re supposed to say things you ain’t sure the other person has done. You can’t say ‘Never have I ever been in the army’ when you know I have!”

“You never specified that rule at the start of the game!” Ben replied with a smirk while grabbing a few more chips from the paper. “But because I’m not as competitive as you are, I’ll allow it from now on. You’ve still got to take the tie off though.”

Callum sighed, though he knew the corners of his mouth were grinning. “It’s supposed to be a drinking game!” he said, taking off his tie and placing it next to his jacket. “I should be downing something, not getting my kit off!”

“Fill your boots,” Ben replied nodding towards the half drunk six pack littering the table. “You’ve been spending too much time with Jay and becoming a right little stickler for rules.”

“Never have I ever,” Callum said, taking a swig of his drink and pausing while he thought. “Got someone arrested.”

Ben pointed his finger accusingly. “I’m not taking anything off!” he exclaimed, mouth wide open at Callum. “That weren’t deliberate!”

“You sold me a stolen van,” Callum replied, chucking another chip at Ben and laughing. “You were responsible for me getting nicked. C’mon, take something off.”

“You’re the one that said we couldn’t do things we already knew,” Ben muttered, taking off his shoe and slamming it on the table. “I was wrong; it’s not Jay you been spending too much time with, it’s me! There, happy now you got a flash of my ankle?”

“Your turn,” Callum replied insistently. “Remember it was your idea to play this game; you said it would help us get to know each other.”

“Yeah. That and I was trying to get your kit off,” he said with a smirk, as Callum gave him a swift kick underneath the table. “Oi! Watch the toes. They’re naked under here.”

Callum glanced under the table as Ben wiggled his toes. “You need socks,” he commented, taking another sip of his can.

“Why do you think I brought you back to this bench? Oh, you said ‘socks’. My mistake,” Ben replied, giving Callum’s leg a gentle rub with his foot.

Callum dipped his head down, playing with the ring pull of his can, the tapping of the metal seeming to fill the park with sound. He could feel his cheeks blush and pinken under the weight of the memory and the tinge of alcohol in his blood. Before he could change his mind, he tentatively reached out and placed the tips of his fingers over Ben’s hand. He started to very softly stroke the other man’s fingertips, his confidence raising when Ben started to do the same in return. It was a gentle caress, but the feeling surged through his body.

Eventually building the courage to look up, he met Ben’s eyes. They seemed to shine and twinkle, perhaps from the buzz of the beer, but the intensity of the moment and what Callum was feeling seemed to be mirrored back at him. Just as he linked their hands further, a continuous beeping rang out.

Ben rolled his eyes, before reaching into his pocket, glancing at the screen. “It’s just my mum,” he replied. “She can wait.”

Callum shook his head. “It’s fine,” he insisted quietly. “Take it. I’m not going anywhere.”

Ben gave a soft smile back, continuing to hold Callum’s hand as he put his phone to his ear. “Someone better be dying,” he muttered down the mouthpiece, before his face started to drop and he suddenly let go of Callum’s fingers to rub at his own chin. “Bobby’s done what?”


End file.
